Pariah's Child
by sofia313
Summary: "I was nervous. Scared. My palms were sweaty and my heart was pounding like a drum. This was what I had been trained for, to seduce an Original." What if it wasn't Klaus who got someone pregnant?
1. My kind of girl

**Warning, mature content**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 **My kind of girl**

Mystic Falls

I looked outside through the window of the moving car, I was nervous and excited at the same time. I had never been at a ball before or at any kind of party. My evening gown was made of pink chiffon and for the first time in my life, Marcus, my daddy had taken me to a beauty salon to have my hair and nails done. I needed to look flawless tonight.

Daddy looked very handsome in his tuxedo; he was tapping the steering wheel with his fingers. Maybe he was nervous as well, I really wasn't sure. I opened the glove compartment and picked up the pictures, I needed to take one more look before we would be there. Niklaus Mikaelson. He was handsome, but he looked tense in the picture, it was taken from far away.

I wasn't sure if I was relieved or disappointed that it wouldn't be him. He was interested in someone and that would make my task much harder. Rebekah Mikaelson. She was pretty. Finn Mikaelson. Esther had made it very clear that he was off limits. Elijah Mikaelson. I sighed and turned to look at Marcus.

"Can't I really do this with him?" I asked. "He seems…kinder."

"Why do you think that?" daddy huffed. "You haven't even met him."

I bit my lip.

"I…just know."

Daddy continued tapping the steering wheel, he seemed impatient.

"Well, you are right, but unfortunately that's the problem, he's too moral, he wouldn't sleep with someone who he has just met. Remember, we have a tight schedule, it must happen tonight, Esther and I are counting on you."

I looked at my reflection in the rearview mirror; I could hardly recognize myself under all the make-up.

"Do you think I'm pretty?" I asked.

"Of course you are, muffin," daddy replied smiling.

His words made me happy; I only wanted him to be proud of me. I took a deep breath and looked at the last picture. Kol Mikaelson. He was handsome, just like his brothers, but the coldness in his eyes made me nervous. I could sense a lot of darkness coming from him. Unfortunately he was the easiest subject, he had been in a coffin for a century or so, he likely wouldn't turn me down.

"Why tonight?" I muttered.

Daddy sighed; he didn't like it when I asked questions.

"Because Esther has other plans for them after tonight."

"What plans…"

"Nothing you should worry about," he snapped, startling me. I should have known better than to upset him.

"What daddy meant is that you should focus on your task, muffin," he continued, smiling at me. "You wouldn't want to let daddy down, would you?"

The meaning of his words was very clear; he would make me pay if I would fail. I knew this dance; I had ever since I had been a small child. If I did well, he was the kindest person in the world, but if I failed… The thought made me shiver.

"No," I muttered. "I won't let you down, daddy."

He smiled and tapped my shoulder.

"I know you won't, muffin. Just keep in mind everything I have taught you."

I nodded; I truly hoped that I could remember everything. This would be the first time when I would see Esther after she has had her body back; I had only seen her in her spirit form. I was excited, but I had to remember not to show anyone that I knew her, not before my task would be completed. I was nervous, scared, but this was what I had been trained for, I could do this. I had to. My eyes widened when I saw the mansion ahead, it looked huge. The yard was full of cars; it took a moment before daddy found a parking spot.

"Alright," he said and turned to look at me. "This is it. Are you ready?"

I nodded, I didn't have much choice. His dark eyes were gazing at me piercingly; he knew how to be intimidating. When he raised his hand, I automatically expected a hit, but in the next second he was smiling.

"My sweet girl," he said and gently touched my cheek. "You know that daddy loves you."

He could be kind when he wanted to be and I lived for those moments. He was all I had and I wanted him to be proud of me.

"I know you won't fail us."

"No, I won't," I assured.

He leaned towards me and kissed my forehead.

"Let's go."

I got out of the car and closed my eyes for a second, enjoying the wind on my face. Daddy offered me his arm and together we headed towards the main entrance.

"Your invitation, please," a tall man in a black suit asked.

I kept the nervous fake smile on my face when daddy showed him the fancy looking piece of paper. The tall man glanced at it briefly and stepped aside.

"Enjoy the ball."

"Thank you," daddy said smiling. "I'm sure we will."

I looked around in wonder as we entered the mansion; I had never seen anything like this. There was flower arrangements, decorative lights, chandeliers, violin music, waiters walking around with glasses of champagne and a roomful of people wearing beautiful gowns and tuxedos. I had never seen so many people simultaneously, I could sense so many things that it was overwhelming, I wanted to run around the room and touch people. Daddy's grip on my arm brought me back to reality, I needed to focus. I needed to act like a normal person.

"If everyone could gather, please!" a man's voice said.

I turned to look at the staircase and saw all the Mikaelsons, Elijah Mikaelson was the one who was talking. I recognized them all easily from the pictures; they seem very reserved, although Niklaus and Rebekah were smiling.

"Welcome!" Elijah said. "Thank you for joining us. You know, whenever my mother brings our family together like this…"

My eyes turned instinctively to Esther; she looked at her children absent-mindedly and turned her eyes to the crowd. She glanced at me briefly, approvingly, before she turned her gaze towards someone else. A brunette girl with two vampire guys. They, or at least one of them had something to do with Esther's plan, whatever it was. I kept staring at Esther before I remembered that I wasn't supposed to know her, instead I looked at Kol. He seemed bored and careless; his eyes were just as cold as in the picture. I wondered what his touch would feel like…

"…so all of you could find yourselves a partner, please join us in the ballroom," Elijah finished.

That snapped me out of it, I had to act now. From the corner of my eye, I saw daddy offering his arm to some woman; I swallowed and headed determinedly towards the staircase. Kol walked lazily down the stairs, I made sure that our eyes met and smiled as sweetly as I could. I probably looked silly, but at least he didn't walk straight past me. He observed me briefly; probably pondering was I worthy of his time. My palms were sweaty and my heart was pounding like a drum, judging by his amused look he heard that. He also misinterpreted the reason of my nervousness, but that wasn't a bad thing, at least I didn't think so. His lips curved into a charming smile before he held out his hand for me.

"May I have this dance?" he asked.

I swallowed and kept the stupid smile on my face.

"Yes."

His touch sent shivers up my spine, but I managed to block everything out and look calm when he led me to the ballroom.

"My name is Kol Mikaelson," he said.

"I'm Jane," I lied. "It's nice to meet you."

We had to go and stand on the line when the dance started; fortunately daddy had taught me how to dance. Not this particular dance, but I hoped that I could improvise. It seemed easy enough, step, step, step… I startled when his arms were suddenly around me, my reaction obviously amused him.

"There is no reason to be shy, darling," he said. "I won't bite."

I let out a terrible fake laughter.

"I'm not shy, I just…find you very attractive."

He raised his eyebrows, I pondered quickly had that been a wrong thing to say. Apparently not.

"Really?" he said smiling.

I nodded.

"Yes." I paused very briefly and changed the subject. "This is a nice party."

He shrugged.

"I have seen better."

"You live here, right?" I asked.

"Yes, for now," he replied.

I looked into his dark eyes and used the best seductive smile I had practiced so much in front of a mirror.

"Maybe you could show me around later?"

He looked slightly curious.

"What would you like to see?"

This was it, I couldn't afford to fail. I kept the seductive smile on my face and leaned towards him.

"How about your bedroom?" I whispered in his ear.

I had managed to surprise him and my timing was perfect, he didn't have time to reply when it was time to switch partners. I spun around and found myself looking into the eyes of Elijah Mikaelson. He smiled at me politely.

"Good evening," he said. "I do not believe we have met, I'm Elijah Mikaelson."

"Jane," I lied again. "It's nice to meet you."

I noticed Kol glancing at me over the shoulder of his new partner, he wasn't sure of what to make of me. It seemed that I had managed to catch his attention; hopefully he would think I was good enough for a one night stand.

"Are you a friend of my sister's?" Elijah asked.

I concentrated on him and smiled, my next move was to ignore Kol for now.

"Something like that," I replied. "You have a lovely home, Mr. Mikaelson."

"Thank you… forgive me, I didn't catch your last name."

"Smith," I replied smiling.

He raised his eyebrows.

"Jane Smith?"

I nodded.

"Yes, I'm just as boring as my name."

He looked amused.

"Somehow I find that hard to believe."

I giggled, trying to mimic flirting.

"Thank you, you are very…"

"Do you mind if I cut in, brother?" Kol's voice suddenly said.

Elijah raised his eyebrows; obviously this wasn't part of the dance.

"Actually, I'm a little thirsty, please excuse me," I said and walked away. I picked up a glass from the first waiter who I saw, praying that I hadn't messed this up. I leaned against the wall and took small sips out of my glass; the dance seemed to be over. Kol was standing across the room, talking with his sister, but I noticed that was glancing at me. They talked for a while and he grinned before heading outside. Oh no. What was I supposed to do now?

I decided to take a risk and wait; I didn't think that he would simply leave in the middle of the ball. No, I couldn't take that risk. I went after him, but I couldn't see him anywhere, I only saw Niklaus Mikaelson standing next to a cute horse, talking with a blonde vampire girl. She was probably that someone he was interested in. I walked across the yard and looked around before returning inside, thankfully Kol was there. He didn't seem pleased at all. I moved next to him and smiled.

"Not having a good time?" I asked.

He glanced at me, but he didn't have time to reply when Esther started to talk, she was standing in the staircase. Esther's speech… Daddy had stressed me not to act before it, for some reason Kol needed to hear it.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Waiters are coming around with champagne; I invite you all to join me and raising a glass…"

Kol picked up two glasses and handed me the other one.

"Thank you," I said and smiled. "Perhaps I can make your evening better."

He was definitely amused.

"You should be careful what you wish for, darling."

"…thank you all for being part of this spectacular evening," Esther continued. "Cheers!"

"Cheers," Kol said smiling and touched my glass with his.

I stared at my glass; there was something wrong with it… No, not with the glass, with the champagne. Kol was already drinking his, but I didn't, I sensed something bad in it. Death. No, not death, blood. I frowned, why would there be…

"You don't like champagne?" Kol asked.

"I…get drunk easily," I muttered. "Then I would lose all my inhibitions."

He laughed.

"That would be interesting to see."

I needed to finish this now; I smiled and leaned a little closer to him.

"Perhaps you would like to give me that tour now?"

"Sure," he replied grinning and offered me his arm. I accepted it and allowed him to lead me up the stairs. Despite the whole situation, I couldn't help but to admire the house, it was beautifully decorated. Daddy and I had moved many times and he couldn't care less where we were staying. I had sometimes tried to make our homes cozier, but daddy always said it was a waste of time.

For a moment I thought what would it be like to live in a place like this… That was a silly thought, I needed to focus. We were on the second floor when a blonde human man walked past us; he seemed to be looking for someone. Kol smiled darkly and turned to look at me.

"Excuse me for a moment, darling, I need to take care of an unfinished business. Wait here, I will be right back."

"Sure," I managed to say before he went after the human. He was planning to kill him. Should I do something? Like what? No, I couldn't do anything; I needed to concentrate on my task. I knew what a failure meant. It took few minutes before he returned, he came from downstairs. How had he managed to get to downstairs without me noticing… I didn't finish my thought when I took a better look at him, his tuxedo was dirty and his eyes were flaming in rage. I swallowed and tried to instinctively back away, but he grabbed my arm.

"You wanted to see my bedroom?" he said darkly. "Let's go then."

He was hurting my arm, but I didn't protest, I had to do this. I was scared, but fortunately all my training hadn't gone to waste, I managed to control myself. He opened one of the doors and shoved me inside. I acted immediately; I took my dress off when he was locking the door, hoping that would keep him from draining me right away.

"You offered to make my night better…" he muttered before turning around. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw me, I was only wearing a pink lace bra and panties. I smiled, trying to look as seductive as I possibly could.

"Take me now, baby," I purred and placed my finger between my teeth.

It sounded very silly, but I tried to mimic the women in those gross movies daddy had made me to watch for educational purposes. Kol stared at me for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Jane, Jane, Jane… I knew you were my kind of girl."

That was a good thing, right? At least I prayed that it was. I startled when he was suddenly in front of me, his fingers caressed my cheek.

"There's that shy Jane again," he said and smirked. "You know, normally I have no problem reading people, but you… I can't really decide what to think of you."

I leaned closed and licked his cheek, according to those movies men liked licking.

"Are you going to talk or give me what I need?" I whispered and nipped his ear. Thankfully that did the trick; he lifted me up and wrapped my legs around his waist before pushing me against the wall, pressing his body tightly against mine. That hurt a little, I wanted to ask him to be careful, but I couldn't. It didn't matter if this would be painful to me, I would just have to take it.

He slammed his lips on mine, sucking and tasting. So this was kissing… It didn't feel so bad. I tried to mimic what he was doing; it seemed that he wanted me to open my mouth. When I didn't do that fast enough, he trust his tongue past my lips. It felt strange at first, but not completely unpleasant. His fingers were touching the back of my hips, I gasped when he suddenly cupped my bottom.

"Very nice…" he muttered. I didn't have time to say anything when my back suddenly collided with something soft; I blinked and noticed that I was in his bed. He was standing next to the bed, looking down at me while taking his clothes off. I had seen naked men in those movies, but I was still nervous, I wasn't sure which part of him I was supposed to look at. He smirked and left his boxers on before moving next to me.

"The shy Jane…" he muttered and started to kiss me again. I tried to decide what to do with my hands. Maybe I was supposed to do like he had done; I reached down his bottom and squeezed it.

"The naughty Jane," he chuckled, sliding his hands down my chest. I heard a ripping sound and no more than a second later my bra was gone. A blush was rising in my cheeks when he stared at me, clearly liking what he was seeing. Maybe I should say something to hide my nervousness.

"I need you, baby, please take me now."

Again, that sounded very silly, but he seemed to like it, almost as much as playing with my breasts. He was sucking and nipping them. I couldn't really understand what that had to do with the… Oh. Oh gosh. He slid his other hand down my belly, pushing his fingers past my panties. I couldn't really understand what I was feeling, but it wasn't unpleasant, just new. I threw my head back, letting out a strange sound. The next thing I realized was that he was on top of me and I cried out in pain when he penetrated my hymen. His eyes widened, he stared at me disbelievingly. I was hurting, but I forced a smile on my face.

"Please don't stop, baby."

He was looking at me very strangely before his lips curved into a smirk.

"Oh, I don't intend to," he purred. "This was a nice surprise…"

I gritted my teeth when he started to move, first slower, then faster. It hurt, but I couldn't show it, there was a slight chance that he might stop. He groaned in pleasure and kissed me roughly, I could only hope that he would be finished soon.

"Jane…"

I felt that he was almost done and I was relieved, but then I saw his fangs. Oh no. He bit my neck while climaxing. I was about to panic, but fortunately he wasn't planning to drain me. He raised his head and licked his bloody lips before I had time to use my ring. He was surprised by the taste of my blood.

"You seem to be full of surprises, darling…" he started, but now I was finished, I turned the ring on my finger around and touched his skin with it. Fortunately daddy's spell worked, Kol lost consciousness and fell on me. I struggled to push him off me, he was heavy. My legs were shaking, but somehow I managed to stand up.

I shivered while touching the wounds on my neck. My bra was torn in two, but fortunately I found my panties, he had thrown them on the floor. I wore my dress and looked at my reflection in the big mirror; I couldn't go out like this. Quickly I torn a piece of fabric out of the hem of my dress and wrapped it around my bleeding neck. Hopefully it would look like a scarf if I would run into anyone on my way out.

My hair looked a little messy, but I didn't think that would matter. I glanced at Kol one more time on my way out; he was lying on the bed on his back. After a short hesitation I walked next to the bed and tucked him in, just in case someone would come and check on him. For some strange reason, I leaned towards him and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you," I muttered and I really meant it, he had spared me from daddy's anger. I knew that I would never see him again when I walked out and that was definitely for the best. The whole thing hadn't been as bad as I had thought; I had known that it would hurt. I walked silently across the empty hallway. It seemed that all the guests had already left; I hadn't seen anyone when I reached the staircase. Almost there… I headed to the front door when someone stepped in front of me. Elijah Mikaelson. Oh no… He looked at me intently, his eyes observed my neck.

"Are you alright, Miss Smith?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied, placing a smile on my face. "I'm fine, I was just leaving."

His expression tensed, I realized that the blood was oozing through the thin fabric.

"Perhaps I should escort you home…" he started.

"No! I mean, that won't be necessary, thank you."

He was obviously about to argue, but I smiled and walked quickly past him.

"Thank you for the party," I said and ran to the front door. The cool night air had never felt better; I walked quickly across the yard, looking for daddy. He had been waiting for me; he stopped the car next to me and barely waited until I was inside before driving away from the mansion.

"Well?" he asked impatiently.

I nodded.

"I did it."

"Very good."

"He bit me," I complained.

"Yes, his kind does that," daddy huffed and stopped the car on the side of the road. "Let's see…"

I held still when he placed his hands on my belly and started to mumble a spell. After a moment he looked up and smiled.

"You're definitely pregnant," he said and touched my cheek. "Daddy couldn't be more proud of you, muffin."

I smiled too, I had been good.

"Now, daddy's going to take care of that wound of yours and then you can have whatever you want. What will it be, muffin?"

"Ice cream?" I suggested cautiously.

He laughed and hugged me; he had never done that before.

"Absolutely. You will have as much ice cream as you want."


	2. Love hurts

**Warning, child abuse**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 **Love hurts**

"Good morning, brother."

Kol blinked his eyes, he felt disoriented and fuzzy. Where the hell was he…?

"Rough night?" Elijah's harsh voice asked.

Slowly Kol turned his head and saw Elijah standing next to his bed, arms crossed over his chest. He certainly didn't seem pleased.

"What…" Kol muttered.

"Wasn't it enough that you tried to kill our sister's date?" Elijah asked coolly. "All mother asked was no violence…"

"What are you talking about?" Kol asked, he started to get annoyed.

Elijah's eyebrows furrowed when he picked up something from the floor. It took few seconds before Kol recognized it as a half of pink bra.

"She was invited here as a guest," Elijah said harshly. "I do appreciate you didn't kill her, but your compulsion was more than sloppy. I understand you have a lot to learn about the 21st century, but here's a quick lesson, we don't draw attention to ourselves."

Kol stared at the bra, what the hell… Suddenly he remembered. The girl. Quickly he got into a sitting position and looked around.

"Where is she?"

Elijah raised his eyebrows.

"At home, I believe. I would have cleaned up your mess, but someone picked her up before I managed to do that."

"You know her?" Kol asked.

"No, I just met her last night."

Elijah glanced at the half of the bra and dropped in on the bed.

"It seems that you know her much better than I do."

Kol grinned, he couldn't stop himself.

"Well, yes, I did deflower her."

Elijah looked at him disapprovingly.

"Charming. I'm sure she appreciates you sharing that information."

"Wait a minute," Kol said when Elijah headed to the door. "Do you happen to know her last name?"

Elijah turned to look at him and huffed.

"You don't know?"

"Would I ask if I would know?" Kol snorted.

Elijah sighed.

"Unfortunately I can't help you, brother."

Kol rubbed his temples when Elijah marched out. Oh lord, his head… What the hell had happened last night? He had barely drunk anything. No, this was something else. The damn girl had done something to him. Had she somehow drugged him? He really wasn't sure. Slowly he lied down and closed his eyes. Much better. What he needed was some sleep. And if he would ever get his hands on that girl… She better pray that he wouldn't.

* * *

I was excited when I woke up; the first thought in my mind was that I would have a baby. I would have a son or a daughter who I would love and who would love me.

"Good morning," I said and touched my belly. I knew that my baby wouldn't be able to hear me, him or her barely existed yet. I rolled on my back in the motel bed and smiled, everything felt alright now. Daddy was happy with me and he had said that Esther would be too, we would see her tonight after she would have finished her plan.

I wondered what her plan was and how it would affect my baby's father. I would always be grateful to him for giving me this baby and I wished him all the best. Maybe that was weird, he had bit me and I was still a little afraid of him, but that didn't matter, I would never see him again. I startled when the door suddenly opened, but I relaxed when I saw daddy. He had a paper bag with him.

"Good morning, muffin," he said smiling. "Daddy brought you some breakfast."

"Really?" I asked got into a sitting position.

"Absolutely," he said and handed me the bag. "You did well last night, Brie, daddy is very proud of you."

I couldn't have been happier; knowing that he loved me was everything to me. He had done so much for me and now I could finally make him proud. I was a good girl.

"We'll stay here until Esther comes," he said. "I know she's eager to see you."

I nodded and touched my belly.

"Is she happy for becoming a grandmother?"

Daddy seemed tense for a moment, I was afraid that I had said something wrong, but then he smiled.

"Sure, muffin. We both want what's best for you and for your child. You know daddy loves you."

I smiled happily.

"I love you too, daddy."

* * *

 _14 years earlier_

 _"Brie."_

 _I startled when I heard daddy's voice, I hadn't heard him coming to my room. I was concentrated on drawing._

 _"Hi, daddy," I said happily. "Look what I drew…"_

 _"Stand up," he cut in. "Now."_

 _I had done something wrong._

 _"Daddy…"_

 _He grabbed me and yanked me to my feet._

 _"What were you supposed to be doing?" he asked calmly._

 _"I… I'm sorry…"_

 _He slapped me so hard that I almost fell down._

 _"What were you supposed to be doing?" he repeated._

 _I rubbed my burning cheek and started to sob, the next slap hurt even more._

 _"Stu-studying," I sobbed._

 _"Yes. Is this studying?"_

 _"No."_

 _"That's right. This is…" he paused and waved his hand, burning my drawing. "…useless. Just like you."_

 _I bowed my head, feeling nothing but ashamed._

 _"Tell me, did you think that drawing was good?"_

 _I shook my head._

 _"Well, you are finally right about something. Apparently you can't do anything properly."_

 _"I'm sorry, daddy."_

 _He walked over to my bed and sat down._

 _"Come here, Brie."_

 _I obeyed as quickly as I could, I didn't want more pain. He lifted me up and touched the bruise on my cheek._

 _"You know you brought this on yourself."_

 _"Yes, daddy."_

 _"I have done everything for you and all I ask in return is obedience. Is that too much to ask?"_

 _"No, daddy."_

 _He sighed._

 _"I don't enjoy teaching you this same lesson over and over again. You are 5-years-old already, you should have learned this by now. Even someone as stupid as you should be able to learn one simple rule."_

 _"I'm sorry, daddy," I sobbed._

 _Gently he wiped my tears away._

 _"I'm all you have. You know that, don't you, muffin?"_

 _I nodded._

 _"Good." He paused and lifted my chin. "Your mommy already left because of you, you don't want me to leave, do you?"_

 _"No! No, please don't leave me, daddy."_

 _He smiled and touched my cheek._

 _"I won't, if you are a good girl."_

 _I nodded quickly._

 _"I am, I promise."_

 _He bent down and kissed my forehead._

 _"That's my girl. I forgive you and I love you. You know no one else can ever love a stupid and ugly girl like you. If you lose me, you'll have no one."_

 _I shivered and hugged him as tightly as I could, fearing that he would leave._

 _"There, there…" he hummed and hugged me back. "It's alright, muffin, daddy will take care of you."_

 _"Thank you, daddy."_

 _"You're welcome. Now, does someone here want ice cream?"_

 _"Me!" I cheered._

 _He chuckled and kissed my cheek before placing me on the floor._

 _"That's what I thought. Come with me then."_

 _I smiled and took his hand. He was the best daddy in the world; I knew how lucky I was._ _No one else could ever love someone like me._


	3. Innocent

**Chapter 3**

 **Innocent**

New Orleans, 5 months later

"Please," Freya said, looking at all her siblings in turns. "Listen to him."

Klaus, Elijah, Kol and Rebekah were all glaring at Finn who was looking at them calmly.

"He's a traitor," Kol hissed. "He wanted to kill us all. Why would we believe a word he says?"

"Because he's telling the truth," Freya replied.

"I am," Finn stated. "I know you don't trust me and I don't blame you for it. I… I did help mother because I believed it was the right thing to do."

"Right," Klaus snorted. "And you don't believe that anymore?"

"I don't. What she did… It wasn't right."

"What difference does it make, the bitch is dead," Kol huffed.

"It makes a lot of difference," Freya said. "There are others who are willing to do anything to finish what Esther started."

"Who are these others?" Elijah asked.

"Her followers," Freya replied. "Witches who she has contacted from the other side. I have run into some of them few times during the last centuries. They are all determined to correct Esther's 'mistake'."

"Let them try," Klaus snorted. "I have slaughtered countless of witches."

"Are they a threat now when Esther is dead?" Elijah asked, looking at Freya. She hesitated for a brief moment before turning her eyes to Finn.

"Tell them what you told me."

Finn looked at his siblings.

"I trust you all remember the ball back in Mystic Falls? Something happened that night."

"We know," Rebekah snorted. "Mother bound us together."

"Yes, but that is not all. She had another plan she didn't tell me about. I found out after we fled."

"What plan?" Elijah asked suspiciously.

Finn pressed his lips together and looked at Klaus, Elijah and Kol.

"One of you bedded a young woman that night. Which one of you was it?"

His brothers stared at him disbelievingly.

"What?" they all said almost simultaneously.

Freya rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to guess it was either Nik or Kol. Am I right?"

"What does this have to do with anything?" Klaus snorted. "And no, it wasn't me."

Both Finn and Freya looked at Kol.

"What?" he snapped.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Freya stated.

"So what? Get to the bloody point already."

"Well… I suppose congratulations are in order. You're going to be a daddy."

Stunned silence followed Freya's words, her siblings stared at her.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kol finally managed to snap.

"Mother's plan," Finn stated. "This child was supposed to be a gift for the ancestors. A way for her to make amends. She did commit the greatest crime against nature."

"Wait a minute," Elijah said. "What you are saying is impossible, we all know vampires can't procreate."

"Normally that's true, but in this case…" Freya paused for a moment before continuing. "Obviously this pregnancy wasn't natural. And the girl… She's not exactly normal either."

"Wait, wait, you have met this girl?" Elijah cut in.

Freya nodded.

"Yes. Finn found her."

"Where is she?" Elijah asked.

"I brought her here with me," Finn replied. "As I said, this wasn't right. She and the child are innocent, I didn't think…"

"Innocent?" Kol repeated icily. His face was completely blank. "She plotted with Ester to create some… abnormity and you call her innocent?"

"Kol's right," Klaus said. "She's obviously our enemy."

"I don't think so," Freya replied. "She was used by some of Esther's followers; it seems that she had no idea what they were going to do to the child…"

"Stop calling that thing a child!" Kol snapped. "We don't know what it is!"

"Where is this girl?" Elijah asked.

Freya glanced at Finn.

"You better bring her here."

Finn nodded and zoomed out. No one said a word after he had left. Freya noticed that Elijah and Klaus looked tense, Rebekah confused and Kol… His face was still blank. Everything had gone so well before this. Freya had finally been reunited with her family after they had returned to New Orleans and she had enjoyed getting to know all her siblings. She finally had a family.

They were ruling the whole city now and Klaus had made peace with Marcel who had obviously been reluctant to step down. The witches and the wolves hadn't really caused many problems after Klaus had agreed to let them keep their own territory, as long as they remembered who was in charge. Then there was of course the Faction.

Lucky for humans, Father Kieran was a very smart man; he knew how to deal with vampires. If Freya wasn't mistaken, Klaus respected him. That was very rare. Yes, everything had gone very well before Finn had contacted Freya, asking for her help. He had spent the last five months tracking the girl and her father, the warlock called Marcus. He was one of Esther's most loyal followers. Thankfully Finn had found the girl.

"Come on," Finn's voice said from the hallway. "It's alright."

Everyone was staring at the doorway as Finn entered the living room with the girl. She looked just as scared as before, she was hugging herself. She had light brown hair and bright blue eyes; she was wearing a powder blue dress and a sweater. Her baby bump was barely noticeable, but it was easy to see that she was pregnant. She swallowed as she noticed all the people in the room.

"Miss Smith," Elijah stated.

"Hi," she said cautiously and looked at Kol. "I…"

"We need to get rid of her and that thing," he cut in icily and glanced at Freya.

The girl's eyes widened, she placed her hands protectively on her baby bump.

"No, no, please, I can explain…"

"Explain what?" Kol snapped.

"Alright, why don't you calm down," Elijah stated.

"Calm down?" Kol repeated. "You know what, I have a better idea, I'm leaving. Do whatever you want with her, I couldn't care less."

The girl looked desperate when Kol stormed out; she turned slowly to look at Elijah.

"Alright, Miss Smith," he stated. "I think we need to have a chat."


	4. One big happy family

**Chapter 4**

 **One big happy family**

I was struggling to stay calm, for my little one, but the truth was that I was terrified. Five people were staring at me and the only person who I had prayed would help me had just left. He had called my little one "that thing". It was clear that he wasn't going to help me or the baby; I needed to somehow keep us safe myself. How? What could I do? Whatever I needed to do. I was sure that daddy would agree. He had told me many times how special my baby was.

Maybe if I would be completely honest and tell the Mikaelsons everything they wanted to know, they wouldn't hurt me. I really couldn't understand what they wanted from me; I hadn't caused them any trouble. Yes, I had lied to them at the ball, but hopefully they would accept my apology. I wasn't going to bother them, I only wanted to take care of my little one and build us a home.

Daddy had been nothing but kind to me during the last five months and he had promised that everything would be alright. After the baby would be born, the three of us would be a family. I hadn't seen Esther and daddy hadn't said anything about her. He had only said that it was just me and him now.

"So," Elijah stated. "How about we start with your real name. It's not Jane Smith, is it?"

I kept my eyes on the floor and shook my head.

"No. It's Brie."

"I see. How do you know our mother, Brie?"

"I… I don't. She… My daddy knows her."

"Your daddy?"

"Yes, his name is Marcus. He's a warlock."

"Where is he now?"

"I don't know…"

I didn't have time to finish my sentence when I was suddenly shoved roughly against the wall and a strong hand grabbed my throat. Klaus.

"Enough with this," he snarled. "You will start talking right now."

"Niklaus…" Elijah protested.

"Stay out of this; we have no time to play games with her."

He took a hold of my chin and forced me to look at him. The coldness in his eyes scared me; I was praying that Elijah wouldn't let him hurt my baby.

"Please," I pleaded. "My baby…"

"Start talking!" he shouted, his pupils dilating. "Where is Marcus now?"

"I-I don't know, I swear. Please, I meant no harm, I-I just wanted my daddy to be proud of me. He… He told me how important this baby is and he said that we would be a family. I would be a mommy and he would love me and the baby." I paused and smiled. "He has always taken care of me. He's the best daddy in the world."

"Are you serious?" Rebekah snorted after a brief silence. "He told you to shag my brother and you just did?"

"No, no, he would have never asked that. Not without teaching me first."

All the Mikaelsons were staring at me disbelievingly. I couldn't understand why. Had I said something wrong?

"He showed me movies," I continued quickly.

"Movies?" Freya repeated.

I nodded.

"Yes, so I would learn. He said that we had to do it that night. At the ball. Esther had said so."

"Why?" Klaus asked sharply.

"I don't know. Daddy said that I didn't need to know that."

They were all quiet for a brief moment before Elijah spoke.

"Why Kol?"

"Daddy said that he would be the easiest one." I paused and glanced at Klaus. "You liked someone else and Esther didn't want it to be Finn."

"What about Elijah?" Rebekah asked.

I bowed my head and blushed.

"I… I asked if I could do it with him, but daddy said he wouldn't sleep with someone who he had just met. I just thought that he had very kind eyes."

"Geez…" Freya murmured. "Kol actually slept with her?"

Her words hurt, I couldn't deny that. She thought that I was ugly. Or stupid. Or both. Well, I was. I always started to speak like a little girl when I was scared, it was my defense mechanism. Usually I didn't speak with anyone except daddy.

"I… I'm sorry for lying to you at the ball," I murmured. "I'm not going to bother you or anything; I would just like to leave. May I?"

I wasn't sure which one of them I should look at. Elijah seemed like the best option.

"Where are you planning to go?" he asked calmly.

His question surprised me, I really hadn't thought about it. I had no idea where daddy was. He must be so worried about me. I had been alone in our hotel room for almost two days when Finn had showed up; daddy had said that he had some very important errands to run. He had told me not to go out or let anyone in. His protection spell would keep me safe. I had been so stupid. Finn had compelled an elderly cleaning lady to lure me to the hallway.

"I don't know," I mumbled. "Could I maybe use your phone?"

"No, you can't," Klaus stated. "You're not going anywhere, love."

I swallowed and forced myself to look at him.

"I told you I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

"Why did our mother want you to have this child?" he cut in.

"I… I don't know, daddy didn't tell me. I thought that maybe…maybe she wanted a grandchild."

Klaus' eyes widened before he burst into laughter.

"Oh my… You're not very smart, are you, sweetheart?"

"Niklaus," Elijah said firmly. "That's enough."

"No, I'm not smart," I murmured. "I'm sorry."

"No need to be," Elijah assured and walked over to me. "The thing is that we can't let you leave. We need to find out more about your child."

"What…what do you mean?" I asked cautiously.

"It's alright," he assured, giving me a calming smile. "We won't hurt you or the child. We only need to know a little more. Is that alright?"

"I guess… I can leave after you're finished?"

"I think we need to find your father first," he replied in smiling. "You need a place to go. Do you have any way to contact your father?"

"I have a phone number," I replied.

He nodded and picked up his phone.

"Why don't you call him then. I would also like to have a word with him."

"Okay, sure."

I took the phone and dialed the number.

 _"The number you have dialed cannot be reached…"_

"Oh…" I murmured.

I really hoped that everything was alright.

"No need to worry," Elijah assured. "You're more than welcome to stay here for now."

He sounded polite, but I could tell that it wasn't really an invitation. I wouldn't be able to leave before they would let me. Instinctively I touched my belly. I needed to protect my little one. No matter what it would take.


	5. Hot chocolate and cookies

**Chapter 5**

 **Hot chocolate and cookies**

 _19 years earlier_

 _Marcus crossed his arms as he looked at the tiny newborn. She was screaming._

 _"Not bad," a witch called Lyle stated. "One of our best works I would say."_

 _"Yes…" Marcus murmured and looked at Janice, the witch who had just helped Dora giving birth. "Is it healthy?"_

 _"Yes," Janice replied, she was just examining the screaming child. "It will serve it's purpose."_

 _"Wonderful," Lyle hummed and glanced at Dora who was lying on the bed. "Do you want to hold it?"_

 _"No," she replied, she sounded disgusted. "Keep that thing away from me."_

 _"How very motherly of you," Lyle chuckled._

 _Dora gave him a cold glare._

 _"I'm not it's mother, I agreed to give birth to it for our cause. You have no idea how it was like to feel that thing growing inside me, so I suggest you keep your comments to yourself."_

 _"I apologize," Lyle stated. "We are all thankful for your sacrifice."_

 _Dora didn't reply to that, she turned her head away._

 _"So," Marcus said. "Why exactly am I here?"_

 _"Well…" Lyle started. "We have a very special assignment for you." He paused and nodded towards the child. "We would like you to raise it. Her."_

 _Marcus frowned._

 _"What?"_

 _"You are by far our best interrogator, you can break anyone. What we want you to do is make her… shall we say obedient."_

 _By interrogator Lyle meant torturer and it was true that Marcus was very good at what he did. He could break anyone and often he didn't even have to use physical violence. Psychological torture was many times much more efficient._

 _"As you know she has a very important purpose and someone needs to prepare her," Lyle continued. "Train her."_

 _"I know nothing about children," Marcus stated._

 _"It makes no difference. All you have to do is make sure that she will obey your every command without hesitation."_

 _Marcus pressed his lips together and looked at the girl. She looked like a normal human baby. Nothing could have been further from the truth. But Lyle had been right; she was one of their best works. Created only to fulfill one simple purpose._

 _"Alright," Marcus stated. "I'll take her."_

 _"Good," Lyle replied. "What do you want to call her?"_

 _"Why can't he just call it a vessel?" Dora snorted. "That's what that thing is."_

 _"Yes, but if Marcus is going to raise her, I think she needs some kind of name."_

 _"Brie," Marcus stated carelessly. "I think I'll call her Brie."_

 _Lyle looked at him curiously._

 _"Why Brie?"_

 _Marcus shrugged._

 _"My aunt had dog called Brie. Dumb creature, but extremely loyal and obedient."_

 _"How fitting," Lyle chuckled. "Brie it is then."_

* * *

I carried a tray across the hallway and took a deep breath before carefully knocking on Kol's door. I knew that he was in his room; I had seen him returning a while ago. Elijah had showed me my own room and said that I could make myself at home. However I wouldn't be able to leave the compound, Freya had cast some kind of spell. Once again Elijah had assured me that they weren't going to hurt me or my little one. I really wanted to believe him, but I couldn't count on that. I could only hope that Kol would give me a chance to explain myself.

"What?" his voice snapped from inside.

I swallowed before opening the door. Kol was standing in front of the window; his face was completely blank when he turned to look at me.

"Hi," I said, trying my best to smile. "I…I was hoping that we could talk. I brought you some hot chocolate."

He didn't say anything, he just stared at me. Cautiously I walked over to the small table and placed the tray onto it.

"I have my own recipe," I continued. "A little bit of chili, cream and melted chocolate. And a marshmallow."

He still didn't say anything as he walked over to me, but suddenly he smiled.

"A marshmallow you say?"

I nodded eagerly.

"Yes."

"And I see you brought me cookies too."

"Uh huh and pie. I didn't know what you like."

He was still smiling as he leaned towards me. I could smell the alcohol.

"How nice. Do you think that I could maybe ask just one tiny question?"

"Yes, of course."

His smile vanished; I flinched when he threw the tray against the wall.

"Are you out of your bloody mind?!" he shouted. "You think I want cookies from a deceitful little tramp?!"

I backed away as quickly as I could, fearing for my baby's safety. If he would hit my belly…

"I-I'm sorry," I stuttered. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to disturb you…"

"Get the hell out before I'll break your neck!"

I ran to the door as fast as I could and didn't stop before I was in my room. I was shaking and my eyes were watering up. He really hated me, there was no chance he would help me and my little one.

"Brie?" Elijah's voice said.

I startled, I hadn't heard him coming in.

"Are you alright?"

I turned away and tried to dry my eyes.

"Yeah, sure."

He didn't say anything and I thought he left. Suddenly a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

"It's alright," he said. "What's the matter? Do you have pain?"

I shook my head and let out a sob.

"No, I… I was hoping that I could talk to Kol, but he hates me."

"I'm sure he doesn't hate you…"

"He does and he has every right. I lied to him."

"Look," Elijah said and placed his hand on my shoulder. "This whole situation is quite… complicated. And unexpected. I think Kol needs some time to digest this."

"You really think so?"

"Yes."

I hesitated for a moment before looking at him.

"I… I know he has a temper and I was wondering… Could you maybe ask him… If he wants to punish me, could you ask him not to hurt my little one?"

Elijah pressed his lips together and placed his hands on my shoulders.

"Alright, Brie, I want you to listen to me. Kol won't hurt you or your child, I promise."

I looked at him for a moment and smiled.

"Really?"

"Yes. You don't have to be afraid, I promise to look after you."

* * *

Kol clenched his fists and stared at the mess on the wall. Hot chocolate and cookies. What the hell was wrong with that girl? Did she think that he was an idiot? Her act didn't fool him, not for a second. She wasn't innocent, far from it. Maybe she had been a virgin, but she certainly hadn't acted like one. She had practically thrown herself at him.

"Kol?" Rebekah's voice suddenly said.

"What?" he snorted.

"We need to talk."

He sighed and turned to look at his sister.

"About what?"

"About that girl." Rebekah paused and crossed her arms. "How could you ever sleep with her?"

"I'm asking myself the same question, believe me," he snorted.

Rebekah's eyes narrowed.

"I'm aware you're not exactly a nice guy, but I never thought you could take advantage of someone like that."

"What are you talking about; she's the one who threw herself at me…"

"You can't be that stupid," Rebekah snorted. "Didn't you honestly notice anything strange about her?"

"She's not the first woman who has begged me to take her to bed…"

"She's like a child for heaven's sake! Her father taught her what sex was by making her watch porn!"

For a moment Kol was speechless.

"She told you that?" he snorted after finding his voice again. "And you just believed her little sob stories?"

"Yes," Rebekah replied coolly. "That girl has been through some very disturbing things. You would see that if you would bother to use your eyes."

Kol didn't say anything as Rebekah marched to the door.

"Unfortunately for her, you happen to be the father of her child so please, try to pretend that you're not just a selfish asshole."

Kol gritted his teeth when Rebekah marched out. His sister was nothing but a fool if she actually believed that girl. That was what Kol kept saying to himself, but he had an unpleasant feeling. Was it possible that the girl wasn't acting? No, he refused to believe that. He was sick of this anyway; none of this was his problem. That thing growing inside the girl wasn't his problem.

He marched out and headed to the courtyard when he noticed the girl coming out of the kitchen. She was smiling and carrying a tray. He rolled his eyes; apparently she was a slow learner. But she wasn't heading to his door; she stopped in front of Elijah's door and knocked.

"Hi. I was wondering if you would like a cup of hot chocolate."

"That's very kind of you," Elijah said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Thank you for being so nice to me."

Kol frowned, what the hell was this? Elijah closed the door after the girl entered his room with the tray. Apparently Elijah wasn't any smarter than Rebekah. It seemed that Kol would have to get the truth out of the girl himself.


	6. Real

**Chapter 6**

 **Real**

Elijah took a sip out of his cup; he noticed how closely Brie was observing him.

"Is… Is it okay?" she asked cautiously.

"Yes," he replied smiling. "This is delicious."

His words clearly made her relax, she was smiling happily.

"Really?"

"Yes, the best hot chocolate I have ever tasted."

Her smile grew wider, she was practically glowing.

"I'm so glad you like it, I have my own recipe…"

She sounded excited as she started to explain to him how she made her hot chocolate. He listened to her and kept nodding politely. At the same time he observed her. He had never met anyone like her before. There was some very strange childlike innocence and naivety in her. It was obvious that she had lived a very isolated life and this father of hers… He seemed to be a very disturbed individual.

Who would do something like this to his own daughter? Use her like this. He remembered the look in her eyes at the ball; he just hadn't been able to identify it back then. Fear, desperation and determination. She had done exactly what her father had wanted her to do without even knowing why. A perfect little tool. It seemed that she had been trained to please. He couldn't help but wonder how strong was this… programming. He took a bite out of a cookie and frowned.

"I don't like this," he stated, keeping his tone of voice neutral.

She stood up immediately.

"I'm sorry, I…I'll get you something else. What would you like?"

The distress in her eyes made him to regret his "experiment", obviously she had been manipulated more than enough. He took another bite and smiled.

"You know what, I believe I was wrong. This is actually quite good. Very good."

She looked at him insecurely, but finally she seemed to believe that he meant it.

"Thank you," he continued smiling. "You know, you're the first person who has ever brought me hot chocolate and cookies. That was very kind of you."

"Oh, I'm glad if you're happy," she replied, she was smiling again.

"I'm very happy. How about you?"

She seemed confused by his question.

"I'm sorry?"

"What makes you happy?"

She hesitated, clearly unsure of what to say.

"I… My little one makes me happy. I only want to love him or her and be a good mother."

"I see. What about your mother?"

Brie bowed her head.

"She…didn't want me. Daddy said that I was a disappointment to her. I didn't deserve her love."

Elijah pressed his lips together.

"I would say that _she_ didn't deserve _your_ love," he stated.

Brie's eyes widened before she looked up.

"No, no, it was my fault. She left because of me. But daddy forgave me. He never left me."

Yes, he was a real saint. Elijah had to struggle to control himself; he didn't want to upset Brie. It was very clear that the poor girl had been brainwashed her whole life, she needed to be treated with care. First of all he wanted her to feel safe here and hopefully learn to trust him. He also needed to have a word with Kol. This time he would make sure that his brother would for once take responsibility for his actions.

* * *

Kol clenched his fists as he looked at the sleeping girl. She was breathing peacefully and she seemed to be comfortable in her queen-size bed. She was wearing one of Rebekah's nighties, a pink satin one. Apparently both Rebekah and Elijah were foolish enough to coddle the little pretender. That would end right now. Kol sat on the bed next to her and touched her cheek.

"Time to wake up, darling," he hummed.

She blinked her eyes sleepily, but she was fully awake when she noticed him. Awake and startled.

"Hello there," he purred. "Do you still want to talk?"

She blinked rapidly few times before nodding.

"I… Yes."

"Wonderful." He paused and leaned towards her. "So, what shall we talk about?"

She looked at him nervously.

"I… I would like to apologize for lying to you."

"Really? Well, I appreciate that. And I accept your apology."

She smiled cautiously.

"Thank you."

"Oh, you're welcome. We had a fun night, didn't we?"

"Yes."

He smiled and ran his fingers over her neck.

"How about a rerun? Since we're going to have a baby together and everything."

She looked at him insecurely. Obviously she was faking and he was going to make her drop the act.

"I…I guess we can do that if you want. Could you please be careful with my belly?"

His eyes narrowed, she was really starting to annoy him. Slowly he placed his hand on her stomach.

"Careful?" he repeated coldly. "Why?"

She swallowed and forced a smile on her face.

"Please, baby," she said and guided his hand towards her waist. "I need you. Please let me show you how much. I'm so hot for you."

She moved lower, he could hear her heart pounding as she started to unbuckle his belt with shaking fingers. It was an act. She was a lying faker. No. She was terrified. She was trying desperately to protect her… The thing growing inside her. In that moment he heard it.

 _Th-thump, th-thump, th-thump…_

The child's heartbeat. For a moment he was too shocked to move. This whole thing was actually real.

"Stop that!" he snapped as he remembered the girl who was just unzipping his jeans. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

She looked frightened and confused.

"I'm sorry if I did something wrong…"

"Stop apologizing!" he snapped. "Stand up for yourself like a normal person!"

She didn't say anything and she seemed to be too scared to move. He got up and started to pace back and forth.

"Damn it!" he growled and slammed his fist against the wall.

She flinched and wrapped her arms around her. He was angry, but not at her. Not really. How could he have been so damn blind? He should have seen that there was something wrong with her. What the hell was he supposed to do now? Nothing. This wasn't his damn problem. She wasn't his problem.

 _Th-thump, th-thump, th-thump…_

No! He stormed out without looking at her. This was too much for him to handle.


	7. Knight in shining armor

**Chapter 7**

 **Knight in shining armor**

Klaus was lost in his thoughts as he headed to his room. The day had certainly been interesting; it had given him a lot to think about. He has just had a chat with Freya and she had told him some very interesting things about their "houseguest". Of course nothing was certain yet, but if Freya's speculations were correct… Klaus stopped as he suddenly spotted Brie. She was standing in front of Elijah's door, knocking quietly. She was wearing a short nightie and she was hugging herself.

"Elijah?" she called with a shaky voice.

"He's not here," Klaus stated, making the girl jump. It wasn't difficult to see that something had happened; she seemed to be shaken to her core.

"Oh…" she murmured, she wasn't looking at him. "Do you… Do you know when he's coming back?"

"No, I'm afraid not, he needed to take care of some things."

"Oh… I…Thank you."

"Wait, wait," he said and stepped in front of her when she tried to walk past him. "What's wrong, love?"

"Nothing," she murmured, keeping her eyes on the floor.

"Hey," he said and touched her shoulder, making her flinch. "It's alright, you can tell me. I'll help you, I promise."

She hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"I… I wouldn't want to be alone."

"Oh, I see. Come with me then, we'll figure everything out together."

He smiled when she looked up. The opportunity was more than perfect and he wasn't going to waste it. Obviously the poor thing needed a friend right now.

"It's alright," he assured calmingly. "You'll be safe with me."

Again she hesitated, but he could tell that she desperately wanted to believe him. Klaus' guess was that Kol had paid the poor girl a visit. It seemed that his little brother had really managed to upset her.

"Come on, sweetheart," he said and gently wrapped his arm around her waist. "Let's get you a nice cup of tea and then you can tell me all about it."

Her body was stiff, but she didn't protest as he guided her to his room.

"Take a seat and make yourself comfortable, I'll be right back."

It was late, but fortunately they always had at least one maid here. He found her and told her to bring him a cup of tea. Brie was sitting on his bed when he returned, she was still hugging herself.

"You'll have that tea soon," he said.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"You're welcome." He paused and sat down next to her. "Are you feeling any better?"

She shook her head.

"Do you want to tell me what happened? You don't have to if you don't want to."

She was quiet for a moment before she looked at him.

"May I stay here?"

"Yes, of course. As I said, you'll be safe here."

She let out a weak sigh; it seemed that she was exhausted.

"Thank you so much. I…"

"It's alright," he assured. "I'm guessing that this has something to do with Kol."

She shivered.

"It… I'm sure it was my fault," she murmured.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?"

She shook her head.

"No, but… he scares me," she said quietly.

"I completely understand," Klaus replied and took her hand. "My brother has always been volatile and unpredictable. I'm truly sorry for him; he had no right to upset you."

"No, it was my fault…"

"Hey," he cut in. "I meant it, he had no right to upset you. I won't let him do it again."

She looked up and gave him a grateful smile.

"Thank you. I… It's not me I'm worried about, it's my little one."

He smiled too and glanced at her tiny baby bump.

"Yes, of course. I love children and I truly admire your protectiveness. I have no doubt that you will be an excellent mother."

Her smile grew wider.

"You really think so?"

"Absolutely. Have you thought about names yet?"

She nodded eagerly; obviously this was a pleasant subject for her.

"Yes, I… I was thinking Sunny for a girl and Bo for a boy."

"Wonderful names, I love them."

She smiled happily and looked at him like he would be the kindest person in the world.

"Thank you. I want my little one to have a good life."

"Of course, what mother wouldn't?" He paused and took her hand between his own. "Listen, Brie, I really am sorry for my brother and I would like to offer you my help. I would like to be your friend."

She looked confused.

"My friend?"

He smiled.

"Yes, that's right. I want to help you and your child."

She was quiet for a brief moment before replying.

"That's very kind of you, but why?"

"Well… As I said, I love children and this is my niece or nephew we are talking about. Obviously my brother doesn't want to act like a man, but I don't want you to think that you would be alone. I would be more than happy to keep you and your child safe. I think you know that I can do that."

She hesitated for a moment before replying.

"What would you want in return?"

He smiled and shook his head.

"Nothing. Only your friendship."

Again she hesitated before speaking.

"Does that mean sex?"

"No, no, absolutely not. I only want to be your friend."

For now. If Freya was indeed right about this girl, she and Klaus would be much more than friends. But all in good time, right now he needed to gain her trust and make sure that she saw him as her knight in shining armor. Fortunately Kol had made that more than easy.

"Ah, there's your tea, love," Klaus said as the maid opened the door after knocking.

"Thank you."

She looked calmer now as she took small sips out of her cup. Poor thing. Klaus had no doubt that Elijah wouldn't approve his plans for her, but really, he was only doing her a favor. She needed someone to look after her and her child and he was willing and able to do that. For a small price.

"Here, sweetheart," he hummed and pulled the cover down after she had finished her tea. "Why don't you lie down and rest, you'll be safe here."

Clearly she was exhausted, she obeyed without arguing.

"Thank you," she murmured sleepily.

"The pleasure is all mine," he replied smiling. "I can assure you."


	8. Good girl

**Chapter 8**

 **Good girl**

Marcus stood in the middle of the hotel room with a blank expression. Brie wasn't here. How the hell was that possible, the dumb little cow would never dare to disobey him. He had spent the last 19 years making her obedient; she wasn't even capable of thinking by herself. Her spirit and personality was completely and thoroughly crushed, she knew that she was nothing without him. Where the hell was she? She wouldn't have just left, he was sure of it.

Unfortunately that led him to the conclusion that someone had taken her. How, his protection spell should have kept her safe. Unless… Someone had tricked the little idiot. Marcus clenched his fists and let out a growl. That stupid, useless little bitch. All he had needed her to do was stay in this damn room and she had failed. No, _he_ had failed. He had made the mistake of showing her kindness during the last few months.

Apparently that had made her dumber and less afraid of him. She should have been terrified by the thought of disobeying his orders. He should have shown her that nothing had changed. He could have done that without harming the child. Apparently she needed some physical punishment in order to remember her place. He would most certainly fix his mistake. But first he needed to find her. And he needed to let the others know what had happened.

The thought made him to grit his teeth, but he knew that it had to be done. They had all decided that Brie would stay with Marcus until it would be time for her to give birth. Everything had been a damn mess after they had lost Esther. There had been traitors among them, witches who had wanted to take the child for themselves. Had they taken Brie?

No, Marcus had made sure that she was hidden from all the witches. No one should have been able to find her. Yet someone had. Marcus reached for his phone until he remembered that he had lost the damn thing. He needed a new one right now. He needed to find the damn girl.

* * *

I tried my best to breathe calmly as I lied on the floor. Freya had lit few candles and drawn a circle around me, she was chanting quietly while running her hands up and down my belly. She had given me her word that she wouldn't hurt my little one. I was still nervous, although I didn't feel any pain. Klaus was standing next to me; he looked down at me and smiled calmingly. I was glad that he was here; he had helped me so much last night. I would have been too afraid to sleep if I would have been alone, fearing that Kol would come back. The thought made me shiver.

"Are you alright, love?" Klaus asked. Freya didn't stop chanting.

"Yes."

He bit his bottom lip and got down on one knee.

"Are you sure?"

I smiled at him, grateful for his concern.

"Yes, thank you."

"That's good; Freya assured me that this shouldn't hurt."

"I'm not hurting," I assured. "I just…"

I wasn't sure what to say. The truth was that I was afraid of Kol. Of course I had known that he wasn't a nice person, but the way he had acted last night… I had feared for my baby's life. Did he really hate me so much that he wanted to hurt my innocent little one? I wasn't going to let him do that, I would protect my baby. The problem was that I couldn't do that alone, I needed help.

"It's alright," Klaus said. "This is almost over."

I looked at him insecurely.

"What…what happens then?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I promise you one thing, love. Nothing bad will happen to you or your child, I'll make sure of it."

His words filled me with gratitude; I would have never thought that he would show me so much kindness. I had thought that he was a lot like Kol.

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me, anyone would do the same."

That certainly wasn't true. I didn't have time to reply when Freya stopped chanting and opened her eyes. She was breathing faster than normally and she stared in front of her.

"Freya?" Klaus said after a moment of silence.

She blinked few times before she looked at me and smiled.

"Everything seems to be fine," she said. "You have a healthy baby."

Marcus had said so too, but it was nice to also hear it from someone else. I smiled at her.

"Was that all you needed?"

"Yes," she replied and stood up.

Klaus offered me his hand and carefully helped me up.

"Thank you." I paused and looked at him. "I… Am I free to leave now?"

He bit his bottom lip and took my hand between his.

"Listen, Brie… I think it will be best for you to stay here."

"But my daddy…"

"You don't know where he is," Klaus cut in. "And you can't reach him. Surely he would want you and the baby to be safe, wouldn't he?"

I hesitated, but I knew that he was right. Marcus had said many times how important my child was. I didn't know where he was, I had no money and I had never traveled anywhere by myself. He wouldn't want me to do anything to risk my baby's safety; surely he would find me with a locator spell or something. The problem was that I wasn't sure if I would be safe here.

"Am I a prisoner?" I asked cautiously.

He shook his head.

"No, you're a guest. My guest. I'll make sure you'll have everything you need."

"What about…" I started, but I didn't finish my sentence.

"I'll handle Kol," he assured. "No need to worry." He paused and touched my shoulder. "Why don't you go to my room and make yourself comfortable, I'll arrange you something to eat. You must be hungry."

I really was, I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday.

"I…I can go and make something myself…"

"No, no, we have staff for that. Go and get some rest, I'll be right there."

"Okay…"

He smiled and touched my cheek.

"Good girl. I'll see you soon."


	9. Magic

**Chapter 9**

 **Magic**

"It seems that I was right," Freya stated after Brie had left. Klaus had already suspected that much; he had seen how Freya had looked at Brie. There had been pity in his sister's eyes. "I doubt that she knows," Freya added.

Klaus didn't think so either

"Hmm, poor thing."

Freya looked at him sharply.

"What are you up to, Niklaus?"

Klaus smiled.

"Up to?"

"You know what I mean."

"I'm just trying to help the poor girl; I think she has already been through more than enough. She needs some help and she's not going to get it from Kol."

"And you want to help her out of the goodness of your heart?" Freya huffed. "I find that hard to believe."

Klaus smiled; obviously Freya wasn't a fool, so he wasn't going to insult her by claiming that he was being completely selfless.

"Yes, perhaps I hope something for myself, but that doesn't make me any less determined to protect the girl. Let's face it, she needs someone to look after her and I'm willing to do that."

Freya looked at him for a moment before she seemed to understand. Her eyebrows furrowed.

"Nik… This is a very damaged girl we're talking about, you can't possibly mean…"

"I'm not going to hurt her," Klaus cut in. "Of course not, I'm not some kind of a savage."

Freya crossed her arms over her chest.

"And what if she refuses to give you what you want?"

"That's her right; I have no intention to force her into anything."

That was true, but Klaus didn't think for a second that she would refuse him. She needed a protector for herself and for her child and he was willing to look after them both. And if everything would go well with her pregnancy… He didn't think that she would mind eventually having another child. His child. That was what she had been created for.

She was a vessel, designed for this single purpose. Sure she had a human body, but she had been conceived by very powerful magic. It had made her incredibly fertile, able to bear children for anyone. Even for a vampire. The only question was why? Why on Earth had Esther wanted this child? Finn had mentioned that the child was supposed to be a gift for the ancestors, but Klaus had a feeling there was more to it.

Obviously he was going to find out everything, but right now he had other things that required his attention. He needed to look after the poor girl, show her that she would be safe with him. Earning her trust and affection shouldn't be too difficult, not after how Kol and her father had treated her. Klaus however had every intention to treat her like a queen and in return she would hopefully give him an heir of his own. It was a fair trade.

* * *

Kol was in a very bad mood when he returned to the compound. He had spent his night drinking in a bar and ended up having sex with a pretty young vampire called Joan, Jean or something like that. Usually he enjoyed casual sex, but not this time. All he had been able to think about was that damn heartbeat and the fear in the eyes of that damn girl.

He had certainly made a mess last night. So what if he had? So what if he had scared her? The whole thing was her fault, not his. There would be no damn heartbeat if she wouldn't have deceived him. What he hated the most was that he had actually bought her dreadful act. However, that hadn't really been his fault. He had spent a century in a damn coffin; he had needed to get laid.

Then she had appeared, practically begging him to take her. Yes, a part of him had realized that something wasn't right, but come on, he was only a man. Who in his position would have turned her down? She wasn't unpleasant to look at and yes, he had desperately wanted to have sex, just as much as he had wanted to have a proper meal. Blood bags… What an insult. Anyhow, the point was that none of this was his fault. How was he supposed to know that she was some kind of… What, he wasn't really sure.

Innocent.

No, that wasn't the right word. Naïve. Foolish. Yes, those ones sounded better. He still didn't know what to do now. Why should he do anything? The heartbeat…. No, that didn't mean anything to him. Who knew what that thing growing inside her even was? The ancestors could keep it and the girl. Kol was determined to forget the whole thing and move on.

He marched towards his room when he suddenly saw her, the damn girl. She was standing in the middle of the hallway, looking at the painting hanging on the wall. It was one of Nik's, scenery from the 18th century Spain. Nik had probably painted it before he and Elijah had daggered Kol and forced him to come to America with them. The strange thing was that Kol had walked past this painting countless of times, but he had never really paid attention to it before. Now it made him feel nothing but anger.

"Look at that," the girl said.

Kol frowned, for a moment he thought that she was talking to him.

"Pretty, isn't it? I think so too."

She was stroking her stomach while she spoke.

"Looks like a fairytale kingdom…"

"Hardly," Kol snorted. He startled her so badly that she literally jumped, dropping a vase that was on a small table under the painting. Her eyes widened and her mouth floundered open and closed as the vase shattered.

"I…I…I didn't mean…"

Quickly she knelt and started to gather the pieces.

"Oh come on," Kol huffed and took a step towards her. "It was just…"

She winced and covered her stomach with her arms. He frowned.

"What do you think I'm going to do, kick you?"

She didn't say anything or look at him, but he could hear her heart pounding. She really was afraid of him. He probably couldn't blame her for that.

"I'm not going to kick you," he stated, trying his best not to sound annoyed. He was aware that she wasn't trying to purposely irritate him, she was genuinely afraid.

"Alright," he murmured and held out his hand. "Stand up."

She was clearly reluctant to take his hand, but she didn't dare not to. She winced again as he helped her up. He could smell the blood, apparently she had cut herself. Her blood… Suddenly he remembered what it had tasted like. Magic. Literally. She had actual magic in her blood. How was it possible that he hadn't remembered that? He frowned and grabbed her wrist.

"What are you?"


	10. Problems

**Chapter 10**

 **Problems**

When Elijah returned to the compound, his first thought was to make sure that everything was alright with Brie. He would have wanted to come back sooner, but there had been issues with the witches that had required his attention. Rebekah had been with him, but she hadn't returned to the compound with him. She had mentioned that she had some plans.

Elijah hadn't asked what those plans were, but he suspected that they had something to do with Marcel. That was none of Elijah's business. Unlike Klaus, he didn't feel the need to control his sister's personal life. He barely managed to enter the compound when he heard Klaus' voice.

"That's enough, Kol!"

"You stay out of this!" Kol's voice shouted.

How wonderful. Elijah rolled his eyes before zooming towards the voices. His brothers were standing in the middle of the hallway, ready to attack each other. Brie was standing behind Klaus' back, she looked terrified.

"You have no right to touch this poor girl!" Klaus snarled.

Kol's eyes widened before he burst into laughter.

"Are you kidding? What kind of game are you playing, Nik?"

"I'm hoping to show her that we're not all some savages."

"You're the one to talk…"

"Alright, enough," Elijah cut in firmly. "What is going on here?"

Neither of his brothers looked at him, they were glaring at each other. Brie looked at him, Klaus and Kol in turns, clearly she was unsure of what to do. Elijah gave her a calming smile before focusing on his brothers.

"Niklaus, Kol?"

"It seems that our brother doesn't quite know how to treat a pregnant woman," Klaus stated coolly.

Elijah's eyebrows furrowed.

"Kol…"

"And it seems that as usual, Nik has no idea what he's talking about," Kol snapped.

"Really? Are you saying that she's not bleeding? And I didn't just catch you scaring the poor thing half to death?"

"I haven't hurt her! And even if I would have, that's none of your bloody business!"

"Oh, I think it is." Klaus paused and crossed his arms. "She's under my protection."

Kol's eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"You heard me. Anyone who touches her will have to deal with me."

"You can't be serious…"

"I'm very serious, believe me."

Kol clenched his fists and looked at Brie over Klaus' shoulder.

"What did he want from you in return for his 'help'?"

She kept her eyes on the floor and blinked nervously.

"Believing a word he says will be the biggest mistake you'll ever make."

"Ignore him, love," Klaus stated sternly. "He won't hurt you again, I promise you."

"He… He didn't hurt me," she said quietly.

"It's alright; you don't have to lie for him…"

"No, I… I don't…"

"Brie," Elijah said gently as he stepped in front of her. "Can you tell me what happened?"

She hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"I… I dropped the vase. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"It's alright," Elijah assured and placed his hand on her shoulder. "It was just a vase; we can easily get a new one. What happened then?"

"I tried to clean up and I think… I think I cut myself. Kol helped me up."

"Why were you so afraid?" Klaus asked sharply.

"I… I thought that he was angry because of the vase."

"Alright, may I take a look at your wound?" Elijah asked.

Again she hesitated for a brief moment.

"I guess…"

Very gently he took her hand and saw that the wound wasn't deep.

"We need to clean this," he said.

"I'll do that," Klaus stated and stepped next to Brie. "Come on, sweetheart."

Elijah frowned, but didn't say anything when Klaus wrapped his arm around Brie's waist and started to lead her towards his room. Why was he so concerned about her? Elijah knew his brother, Klaus wasn't a selfless person. He wanted something from Brie. Apparently Kol was thinking about the same thing, he was clenching his fists.

"What is he doing?" Kol murmured tensely.

"I don't know," Elijah replied and looked at his little brother. "How about you? What are you doing?"

"What are you talking about?"

"That girl is carrying your child…"

"We don't know that," Kol snapped. "We don't know what that thing is. We don't even know what she is."

Elijah crossed his arms and looked at his brother harshly.

"She is an innocent girl who has been through a lot. She deserves to be treated kindly."

"Why don't you tell that to Nik. Or are you buying this white knight act of his?"

"No, I'm not," Elijah replied. "And I do intend to have a word with him."

Kol didn't comment on that, he seemed tense.

"What is bothering you?" Elijah asked.

"Is that a joke?" Kol snorted. "What do you think is bothering me?"

"Well… Guilt perhaps?"

Kol frowned.

"What? I have no reason to feel guilty."

"Hmm. Have you talked with that girl? I mean really talked with her?"

"Yes, I have," Kol snorted. "So what?"

"I believe you know what I mean," Elijah replied harshly. "After all you… how did you put it again, deflowered her."

"She came to me," Kol snapped. "How was I supposed to know that she's some kind of…whatever she is."

"I have no desire to argue with you about that. What I want to know is how are you planning to fix this?"

"Fix what? None of this is my problem."

Elijah shook his head.

"You can't really believe that…"

"Well I do. I don't care what happens to her."

"Then you are nothing but a fool," Elijah stated coldly. "Do you have any idea how many vampire would give anything if they would have what you are willing to just throw away?"

"What I have? We don't know what she or that thing is…"

"She's a vessel," Freya's calm voice cut in. "And "that thing" is a living, breathing child. So mazel tov, daddy."

"What?" Kol and Elijah said almost simultaneously.

"What is this…vessel?" Elijah asked.

"She was conceived by magic," Freya replied. "Designed as a fertile vessel. Able to procreate with anyone."

Elijah stared at his sister disbelievingly.

"Designed… Is she a human?"

"She has a human body. And I would say a human mind, although someone has gone through a lot of trouble in order to shatter her mind. I have seen a lot of disturbing things, but this… I can't imagine who could do something like this."

Elijah didn't know what to say, the whole thing was turning out even uglier.

"Does… Does she know?" he finally managed to ask.

"I don't think so," Freya replied.

Kol turned around and walked away without saying a word. Elijah sighed and shook his head. Apparently trying to reason with his brother was completely useless. Kol simply didn't care.


	11. Normal feelings

**Chapter 11**

 **Normal feelings**

Kol marched to the living room and slammed his fist against the wall, letting out a growl. Damn it. Damn that girl.

"Problems, little brother?" Finn's calm voice asked, he was sitting in front of the fireplace.

Kol startled, he had forgotten Finn completely.

"None of your business," Kol snapped.

Finn stood up; he didn't seem at all insulted.

"How is the mother of your child?"

"I don't know or care," Kol stated angrily and poured himself a drink. "She's with Nik."

Finn raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"Because for some reason he wants to play her prince charming. Fine by me, he can keep her."

"I see," Finn stated coolly. "And the child?"

"What do you care, you wanted to kill us all!" Kol snapped.

Finn was quiet for a moment before replying.

"Yes, I did. I believed that this world would be a better place without our kind."

"Right and then you suddenly changed your mind?" Kol snorted.

"No, I didn't," Finn replied calmly.

Kol glanced at him and emptied his glass.

"You still want to kill us?"

"No, I don't."

Kol frowned.

"That doesn't make much sense."

"Yes, I know. The thing is… After mother died and I was by myself… I looked around and I saw… For the first time I really saw."

"Saw what?"

To Kol's surprise, Finn smiled. He hadn't seen his brother smiling since…ever.

"This world. I realized that I had never really looked at it before. I want to see it, all of it. I don't want to return to the darkness, I want to…live."

"Well," Kol hummed after a moment of silence. "Who would have thought that you could actually have some kind of normal feelings?"

Finn seemed amused.

"Normal feelings?"

"Yeah. I mean you were in a coffin for 900 years and as soon as you finally got out you immediately wanted to kill yourself. And your whole family. Not very normal."

Finn observed his brother for a brief moment before replying.

"Shall we talk about normal feelings, little brother? Perhaps the feelings a father should have toward his child…"

"Yes, that's a great example," Kol snorted. "Our father was always so caring toward us."

"That is your excuse?" Finn stated. "You will abandon your child because your own father was mean to you?"

"I would say that he was a little more than mean, but I don't see any point talking about this. None of this is your business; I don't have to explain myself to you or to anyone else."

"Perhaps not," Finn stated calmly. "But you are wrong, this is my business. I brought that girl here."

"Why?" Kol snapped. "What did you think would happen?"

"Well, to be perfectly honest, I was hoping that the child would be Elijah's. We have had our differences, but I knew that he would act like a man and accept the consequences of his actions."

Kol pressed his lips together; he wasn't going to talk about this. Yet he did.

"She came to me!" he snapped. "She practically threw herself at me and she did the whole thing on purpose. Do you honestly think that I would have slept with her if I would have known that she's this… vessel or whatever she is."

Finn raised an eyebrow.

"A vessel?"

"Yes, Freya just told us. Apparently the girl was conceived by magic. That's why she can procreate with vampires."

Finn was quiet for a while before speaking.

"I can't believe that mother could do something like this…"

"Well, apparently she could," Kol snorted.

Suddenly something crossed his mind.

"You said that this…child was supposed to be a gift for the ancestors, what did you mean by that?"

"That's all I know," Finn replied. "Mother didn't tell me anything else."

Kol glanced at him harshly.

"You mean you didn't want to hear anything else."

Finn bowed his head and nodded.

"No, I didn't. I believed that we were doing the right thing, I didn't think…" He paused and sighed. "I would guess that this child was meant to be sacrificed."

Sacrificed. Suddenly all Kol could think about was the heartbeat. His child's heartbeat. His child… No, he wasn't going to do this.

"What about the girl?" he heard himself asking.

"I don't know," Finn replied. "But if she was in fact meant as a vessel, I would guess that she would have been… well, useless, after the child would be born."

Kol didn't say anything. For some reason he thought about her eyes and her timid smile when she had brought him that damn hot chocolate and cookies. It had been a sincere gesture; she had genuinely hoped that they could talk. She had hoped that he would help her protecting the child. What had made her think something like that? She had even been willing to sleep with him again.

 _"She's like a child for heaven's sake! Her father taught her what sex was by making her watch porn!"_

 _"Take me now, baby… I need you… I'm so hot for you…"_

Kol cursed and poured himself another drink. He should have noticed something. Well, he had, but he had ignored it. She had seemed more than willing. Sure he was a monster, but he had never forced himself on a woman.

 _"She has a human body. And I would say a human mind, although someone has gone through a lot of trouble in order to shatter her mind…"_

"These followers of Esther… Was the girl with them when you found her?" Kol asked, managing to sound careless.

"No," Finn replied. "She was by herself in a hotel room. Her father had told her to wait him there."

"Her father?"

"Yes, a warlock called Marcus. Mother said that he's one of her most loyal followers."

"Hmm. I would guess then that he'll come and look for her?"

Finn looked thoughtful, like the whole thing wouldn't have crossed his mind before.

"Yes, that's very likely. I don't know what their plan was exactly, but they will probably want the girl and the child back."

Kol suspected that too. Then there was of course Nik… What the hell did he want from the girl? As much as Kol tried to convince himself that he didn't care, he didn't quite succeed. No, he most definitely wasn't Elijah, but maybe there was some tiny hint of decency still left in him.


	12. Every king needs an heir

**Chapter 12**

 **Every king needs an heir**

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Klaus said as I flinched. I couldn't help it, cleaning the wound hurt more than I had thought. It wasn't deep, but it was still bleeding. I felt stupid for being so clumsy.

"No, I'm sorry," I muttered. "I broke your vase…"

"Don't worry about that. As Elijah said, we can easily get a new one." He paused and kissed my hand. "Your wellbeing is all that matters."

I smiled at him, he was very kind.

"Thank you."

"For what?" he asked.

"For your kindness. I really appreciate it."

He smiled and touched my hair.

"My pleasure, love. I promised that you would be safe with me, didn't I? I will protect you and your child."

Instinctively I touched my belly. All I wanted was my little one to be safe. Suddenly I felt it and gasped.

"What's wrong?" Klaus asked immediately.

I smiled wider than ever before; I had never been so excited.

"My little one just kicked!"

"That wonderful," Klaus said smiling warmly. "May I…?"

"Yes, yes, of course," I replied eagerly and guided his hand on my belly. "Can you feel it?"

He nodded.

"I can. That's…amazing."

I thought so too, I had never felt anything so special in my life. Tears of joy filled my eyes.

"My baby…"

Klaus smiled and took my free hand between his own.

"Your child is lucky to have a mother like you."

That was the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to me, I couldn't hold back my tears any longer.

"Oh sweetheart," he hummed and wrapped his arms around me. "It's alright, I'm right here. I'll look after you. Both of you."

I hugged him back and leaned my head on his shoulder. No one had ever been so kind to me before, it felt almost too good to be true.

"Alright," he continued after a moment of silence. "I should finish cleaning your wound…"

His eyes widened as he took my hand. I looked at it and saw that the wound was healed. How was that possible?

"Well… It seems that you are a very special young lady, Brie," he said.

"How…" I muttered.

"We'll find that out, no need to worry."

"I should talk to my daddy…"

"That won't be necessary; my sister is a very powerful witch. She can tell us everything we need to know."

I hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"I think my daddy is looking for me."

Klaus frowned.

"Do you want to go back to him?"

"Yes, of course. He's my daddy and he has always taken care of me."

"Hmm. Are you sure about that, sweetheart?"

"What?"

He cupped my face and leaned towards me.

"Tell me, Brie, how often does your father hurt you? How often does he say mean things to you?"

"No, no, he doesn't…"

"I think he does. And I think he has told you that you deserve it. Nothing could be further from the truth."

I blinked nervously, but he didn't let me to look away.

"You are special, Brie. You deserve to be treated like a queen you are. That is how I am planning to treat you, if you let me."

"I… I don't understand…" I murmured.

"It's alright," he said smiling. "I know all of this must be confusing, but you don't have to decide anything right now. What I am offering to you is my protection and everything else I have. You would have your own private living quarters and of course a nursery for the little one. Your baby would have everything he or she could ever want. No one would ever hurt either of you and you would never again have to be afraid. I can give you all of that, if you just let me."

"Why?" I asked quietly. "Why would you do all that for me?"

Gently he stroked my cheek with his thumb.

"As I said, you are special. A queen. I would like you to be my queen."

My eyes widened.

"Wha-what?"

"No need to fear, I have no intention to force you into anything. Being your friend is more than enough for me. However, I am hoping to eventually earn your affection, if you think you could consider granting it to me."

I had no idea what to say, this was the last thing I had expected.

"I… But…The baby…"

"I will treat your child as my own, I give you my word. After all, every king needs an heir. And a queen."

"What…what about Kol?" I muttered.

Klaus smiled.

"Well… I think he has made it clear that he's not planning to take care of you or this child. I would be more than happy to do that. The thing is…" He paused and sighed. "Just between you and me, I have always wanted a family."

"You have?"

"Yes. I remember how wonderful it was to play with my siblings when I was a child. Do you have any siblings?"

I shook my head.

"No."

"Oh. Did you ever feel lonely?"

"All the time," I replied quietly.

He looked at me sympathetically and took my hand.

"I'm sorry. You won't be alone anymore, I promise. And maybe… No, never mind."

"What?"

He bit his bottom lip.

"I shouldn't even say this, but maybe at some point Sunny or Bo could have a brother or sister. Does that sound foolish to you?"

"No, it doesn't, but… I really don't think that Kol…"

"No, no, Kol wouldn't be the father."

"You mean… You want to make a baby with me?"

He smiled and touched my cheek.

"As I said, I have no intention to force you into anything. If you decide that you want another child, I would be more than honored to be the father, but only if you want that."

"What…what if I don't…." I murmured.

"That won't change anything; I will still look after you and the child. I can give you a safe home. Could you consider giving me a chance to prove that to you?"


	13. The right thing

**Chapter 13**

 **The right thing**

"Niklaus," Elijah said firmly. "A word."

Klaus was heading to the kitchen; he stopped and turned to look at Elijah.

"What is it?"

Elijah crossed his arms and looked at his brother harshly.

"I think you know. What are you doing with the girl?"

Klaus frowned.

"What am I doing? I'm helping her."

"Really? And why is that?"

"She needs some help and she won't get it from our brother. I thought you would be pleased one of us is trying to do the right thing."

"The right thing?"

Klaus smiled.

"Yes. I promised to look after her and the child."

"How very kind of you," Elijah snorted.

"Yes, I think so too…"

"Alright, enough. What do you want from that girl?"

Klaus rolled his eyes.

"Come on, brother, isn't it obvious?"

Elijah stared at his brother disbelievingly.

"You can't possibly mean taking advantage of a damaged young woman."

"Of course not," Klaus snorted. "I have no intention to force her into anything. I want to help her and if she would choose to repay my help… Well, that's completely her choice."

"What… Since when have you wanted a child?"

"Since I heard about the possibility," Klaus replied sternly. "Don't try to tell me that the thought never crossed your mind."

It would have been a lie to say that Elijah would have never hoped for children, but definitely not with someone like Brie.

"Niklaus, the girl has been taken advantage of more than enough, you can't possibly believe…"

"She needs a protector, we both know that. I can offer her and her child a safe home. She can even call me daddy if she wants to."

Elijah's eyes narrowed.

"Niklaus…"

"I was kidding! Honestly, brother, where's your sense of humor?"

"Forgive me for not finding this amusing."

Klaus sighed.

"Look, I'm not a monster. Well, not that kind of monster. As I said, I'm not going to force her into anything, but I don't deny hoping that she would decide to give me a son or a daughter. Is that really so wrong?"

"It is with her."

"Why? I'm not going to mistreat her in any way, on the contrary. I will be kind to her and make sure she'll have everything she needs. Does that make me a monster?"

Elijah pressed his lips together.

"Niklaus…"

"After she gives me a child, if that is what she decides, you can ask her to do the same for you. I know how much you have always wanted to be a father and now you finally have a chance. Just think about it, brother and consider all the facts before making any judgments. That girl has been treated nothing but badly her whole life, doesn't she deserve something better? Doesn't she deserve to feel safe and protected? You and I can give that to her."

"She's not some kind of a baby factory…"

"No, of course not. How many times do I have to tell you, the choice is completely hers. However, she is already carrying our niece or nephew, so I believe it is our responsibility to look after her. I doubt that Kol is planning to do that."

Elijah didn't think so either, although he hoped that he was wrong.

"What exactly are you suggesting then?" Elijah asked sharply.

Klaus smiled.

"I'm not suggesting anything. The girl will stay with me and I will keep her safe."

"Really? Have you asked her opinion?"

"I have and she wants to stay with me. Ask her yourself if you don't believe me."

"Yes, I think I will ask her," Elijah stated coolly and headed to Klaus' room. He opened the door, but there was no one in the room.

"Brie?"

She wasn't in the bathroom either. Where was she?

* * *

"Please let me go, I'm sorry about everything…"

"Calm down," Kol cut in as calmly as he could. "As I said, I'm not going to hurt you."

He was carrying the shaking girl towards his car, clearly she didn't believe him. He had asked Freya to lift the spell that kept Brie in the compound; he needed to speak to her in private. They had many things to settle. Obviously this wasn't the best way to make her less afraid of him, but he didn't have much choice unless he wanted to fight with Nik. It hadn't been difficult to guess what Nik wanted from Brie and Freya had confirmed Kol's suspicions. Nik wanted to use Brie as a breeding mare. No. Kol wasn't going to let that happen.

"Don't be afraid," he murmured. "You're safe, okay?"

She didn't say anything as he lifted her into the car. He bit his bottom lip while starting the car and driving away from the compound.

"Look," he sighed after a moment of silence. "I know I've acted like a jerk and you have no reason to trust me, but I ask you to hear me out."

"Okay," she murmured cautiously.

"Okay… Good. First of all, I'm sorry about what happened in your room. I had no right to scare you like that."

Her eyes widened, she stared at him disbelievingly.

"It's okay, I'm sure it was my fault…"

"No," Kol huffed. "It wasn't your fault; you don't deserve to be treated like that. Not by me, not by your father, not by anyone."

She didn't say anything, she looked confused. Kol sighed; this wasn't going to be easy. The girl had been abused and brainwashed her whole life, it would take time to convince her that he wasn't going to hurt her. Sure it would have been easy to control and manipulate her when she was like this, but that wasn't what he wanted. He was going to find a way to give her some confidence. She was carrying his child and for once in his life was going to do the right thing.


	14. Love

**I'm sorry it took me so long to update**

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

 **Love**

Kol put the DO NOT DISTURB sign to the outside doorknob, pushed the door to the hotel suite closed and locked it. His brothers probably thought that he was hiding in some shack, but that wasn't his style. Instead he had taken Brie to one of the most luxurious hotels in New Orleans and arranged them a honeymoon suite. They were now Mr. and Mrs. Jones, a newlywed couple on their honeymoon. He had made it very clear that they didn't want to be disturbed.

After locking the door, he turned to Brie. She was standing in the middle of the living room, looking completely lost. She had only been wearing a short nightgown when Kol had taken her from the compound, now she also had his jacket which she had wrapped tightly around her and a pair of sandals he had hastily picked up for her on their way to the hotel. It wasn't difficult to see how scared she was, she kept blinking her bright blue eyes nervously. He couldn't help but to think that she looked like a lost child.

"Alright," he started after a moment of silence. "You and I need to talk."

"Okay," she squeaked like a frightened little mouse. "I'm sorry."

He frowned.

"For what?"

"I… I've upset you…"

"No, you haven't," he sighed. "I'm not going to hurt you, how many times do I have to say that."

She hesitated for a moment before replying.

"Then why did you bring me here?" she asked quietly.

"Because I want us to talk without anyone disturbing us. We can do that here. Or somewhere else, if you don't like this place."

"I do," she replied quickly. "It's beautiful."

"Alright, good. Make yourself comfortable; take a seat if you want."

She hesitated again as she looked at the sofa and the two armchairs. Kol walked over to the liquor cabinet and looked inside. Fortunately he spotted a bottle of bourbon.

"Do you want something to drink?" he asked. "There's soda and sparkling water."

"Soda, please," she replied.

"Alright. How about a chocolate bar?"

"Aren't they very expensive in a hotel?"

He glanced at her and smiled.

"I think I can afford it."

He picked up a soda can and a chocolate bar before walking over to Brie.

"Here you are."

"Thank you," she replied a bit cautiously and sat down on one of the armchairs.

He went to get his bottle and joined her.

"Well…" he started after a moment of silence. "I think it's safe to say that things didn't start well between you and me."

She swallowed.

"I'm…"

"No, you don't have to apologize," he sighed. "I get now why you did what you did and I don't blame you for it. You weren't trying to harm anyone."

"No, I wasn't," she murmured and placed her hand on her baby bump.

He looked at her bump and heard the baby's heartbeat. It still felt somewhat unreal to him, but he was done running away. This child was his and he was going to take care of it and it's mother.

"As I said before, I know that I've acted like a jerk," he continued. "You didn't deserve that, not after everything you've already been through."

"No, no, I…"

"Let me finish. I'm not a good person or nice person, but I give you my word that I'll never lay a hand on you. I hope you can believe that."

She looked at him for a moment before nodding.

"I do. Thank you."

He smiled.

"You know, it's really sad that you feel you have to thank me for that."

"I'm…"

"For heaven's sake, stop saying that you're sorry," he sighed. "I might be a prick sometimes, but I'm not your father."

She tensed and pressed her lips together.

"My daddy has always taken care of me. He loves me."

Kol rolled his eyes.

"No offence, darling, but what he has done to you isn't love. Even I know that."

"He did his best. He's all I have."

"Not anymore."

Cautiously she looked at Kol.

"Klaus promised to help me…"

"No," Kol snorted. "What he wants is to take advantage of you and I'm not going to let that happen."

She didn't say anything, but he could see that he had hurt her feelings.

"That's just who he is. Right now he sees that someone has something he doesn't have, so he wants to take it. It's his nature."

"He promised to protect my little one," she murmured.

"I'll do that," Kol replied firmly. "I won't let anything bad happen to you or the child."

Slowly she looked at him.

"What would you want in return?"

"Nothing," he sighed. "As I said, I'm not a nice person, but I'll be damned if I can't protect my own child."

She was quiet for a while, probably thinking about his words. Her hand was still on her bump and she kept stroking it absentmindedly.

"May I?" he asked after a moment of silence and cocked his head towards her bump.

Her eyes widened, but she nodded.

"Sure, just please be careful."

He recalled the unpleasant incident in her bedroom and felt ashamed by his behavior. He had actually made her fear for her child's life.

"I promise," he murmured and stood up. He could sense her nervousness as he slowly touched her bump. In that moment he felt something under his hand and quickly lifted it.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "What was that?"

Brie smiled at him.

"The baby is kicking."

"Oh…"

"You can touch, if you want."

He hesitated for a brief moment before placing his hand on her bump again. There it was, the strange feeling under his hand.

"Doesn't that hurt?" he murmured.

Brie shook her head and smiled warmly.

"I love to feel my little one moving."

Kol didn't reply to that, he was staring at Brie's bump. His child. He felt him or her moving under his hand. Very gently he stroked her bump, earning a firm kick from the baby. He was going to become a father. The thought made him feel something he had thought he could never feel again. Love. Pure, selfless love. Slowly he looked up and cupped Brie's face.

"I'll look after you and our child, I give you my word."


	15. Somewhere safe

**Chapter 15**

 **Somewhere safe**

Bubbles. I had always loved bubble baths and I had never seen so big bathtub before. It was heart shaped, meant for two people. Looking at it made me smile; I couldn't remember the last time I would have taken a bubble bath. Now I could, Kol had said that we would stay here for a while. He had promised to look after me and our little one. Maybe it was stupid to believe him, but I did.

He had been very kind to me and he had promised to arrange me clothes and order whatever I wanted from the room service. What I really wanted right now was chocolate cake and he had promised that I would have it. I could have anything I wanted. He had sworn that he would never hurt me. I wouldn't have to be afraid of him. Quickly I undressed and rubbed my bump.

"Did you hear that?" I cooed. "Your daddy promised to look after us."

For a moment I thought about Marcus. Surely he had done his best, but I didn't want to go back to him. I didn't want anyone to hurt my little one. I didn't want to be afraid. A part of me felt guilty for being so ungrateful, but this wasn't about me. My little one's needs came first and I wanted him or her feel safe.

"Mommy loves you so much," I hummed.

I wanted my little one to have a home. A real home. I wanted to decorate it with nice things, make it cozy. That had always been my dream. As I sank into the warm water and felt the bubbles tickling me, I let out an excited cry. The bathroom door flew open immediately and Kol zoomed in.

"Brie? What's wrong?"

I smiled at him, grateful for his concern.

"Nothing, I just love bubbles."

He stared at me for a moment before he smiled too.

"Oh."

"Do you like bubble baths?" I asked.

"I don't know," he replied. "I've never tried one."

"You haven't? You must try, it feels so amazing."

"I'm sure it does."

"You can join me if you want," I suggested as the thought crossed my mind. "There's plenty of room here."

He looked surprised.

"I don't want to intrude…"

"No, no, you wouldn't. This is the biggest bathtub I've ever seen, there's room for both of us."

I smiled at him, wanting to show him that he was welcome to join me. I wanted him to feel the bubbles tickling his skin. He deserved all the nice things in the world.

"Well…" he stated after a moment of silence. "Why not."

My eyes widened and I cried out when he suddenly jumped into the bathtub with his clothes on.

"Kol," I giggled. "What are you doing?"

He grinned and leaned his head back.

"You were right, darling, this feels quite pleasant."

I was still laughing when he pulled his shirt over his head.

"That's better," he sighed after taking his jeans and boxers off.

"You could have undressed first," I pointed out.

"Yes, I could have, but I didn't feel like it. Besides, it was nice to hear you laughing, darling."

I blushed.

"I didn't mean…"

"That was a good thing," he huffed. "You have a cute laugh."

"I have?"

"Yes, absolutely. And a very cute smile."

"Thank you," I muttered, unsure of where he was going with this. I hadn't done anything to deserve kind words.

"You are a beautiful young woman," he continued. "I want you to remember that."

I didn't know how to reply, I just waited for him to tell me what he wanted. Things had always been like that with Marcus. His kindness had never been free.

"This really is nice," Kol sighed after a moment of silence. His eyes were closed and his head was leaning on the edge of the tub.

"Did you have a bathtub in your home?" he continued.

"We… we moved a lot. In some places there was a bathtub."

"Did you have your own room?"

"Usually, but not always. We lived in all kinds of places."

"Hmm. Was that what you wanted?"

I blinked, surprised by his question.

"Me?"

He opened his eyes and smiled at me.

"Yes, darling, you. I want to know what you want. Tell me about your dreams."

I hesitated for a moment before replying.

"I… I want my little have to have a safe home. I would like to decorate it with pretty things. Warm things. I want to love my little one. Make him or her hot chocolate. No one would hurt us and we wouldn't have to be afraid."

Kol was quiet for so long that I was sure that I had said something wrong.

"Brie," he finally said and moved a little closer to me. "You'll have all that, I give you my word."

Cautiously I looked up and saw him smiling at me.

"I'll give you anything you want," he added.

"Why? Why would you…"

"Because I want to," he cut in firmly. "I want you to be happy."

I stared at him in wonder until I finally dared to smile. He meant what he said. The realization filled my heart with joy and brought tears to my eyes.

"Hey…" he said, clearly uncomfortable. "Please don't do that, I'm sorry that I upset you…"

I let out a sob and dried my eyes.

"You didn't. You didn't. That was the kindest thing anyone has ever said to me."

"Oh…" he murmured. "I have to say that I'm sorry to hear that. You deserve much better."

I laughed and pouched on him.

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

His body stiffened before he wrapped his arms around me and patted my back.

"There, there…" he murmured.

I had never felt so safe in my life, so I snuggled against him and rested my head on his shoulder. I hardly noticed that we were both naked, it didn't seem to matter. His body felt more relaxed now as he kept stroking my back. I hadn't realized how exhausted I was, but now I felt myself slowly drifting into sleep. For the first time in my life, I felt completely safe.


	16. The most perfect little girl in the worl

**Chapter 16**

 **The most perfect little girl in the world**

 _Kol opened his eyes. He was in his room at the compound. At least he thought that the room was his, although it looked different. More…cozy. All the dark colors were gone; the whole room was practically bathing in light. Who had done this? He looked around and noticed couple of framed drawings on the wall. A child's drawings. What…_

 _"Daddy?"_

 _Kol turned around and saw a little girl. She had dark hair and bright blue eyes, she was smiling at him._

 _"Who are you?" he asked._

 _"I'm your daughter," she replied. "You're my daddy."_

 _"What?"_

 _The girl stepped in front of him and took his hand._

 _"I'm your daughter," she repeated. "You know I am."_

 _He stared at her disbelievingly and noticed how familiar she looked like. She had Brie's eyes and his nose and mouth. Somehow he knew that she really was his daughter, he could feel it. It took a while before he managed to speak, he simply stared at her. She looked like the most perfect little girl in the world. His daughter…. He was a father._

 _"Is this a dream?" he finally murmured._

 _She shook her head._

 _"No. I found a way to talk to you now when you're so close to mommy. We both need your help."_

 _"What's wrong?" he asked immediately. "Are you alright?"_

 _"Yes, for now. But they are coming."_

 _"Who?"_

 _"Bad people. They want to hurt mommy and me."_

 _Kol pressed his lips together and got down on one knee._

 _"Listen to me, I won't let anyone hurt you," he assured firmly._

 _The girl smiled and touched his cheek with her tiny hand._

 _"I want to meet you, daddy. Please protect mommy and me."_

 _"I will, I swear."_

 _He startled when she wrapped her little arms around his neck._

 _"I love you, daddy. Please be kind to mommy, she has been so scared_

 _"I will," Kol murmured. He was deeply ashamed of all the distress he had caused Brie and he was afraid that their daughter knew about that._

 _"Mommy's soul is kind and gentle," the girl hummed. "She needs you, daddy. We both need you."_

 _"I'm right here," Kol assured. "And I'll make sure that you both are safe."_

 _"I know you will. I love you, daddy…"_

Kol gasped and quickly opened his eyes. He was in the bathtub; Brie's head was resting on his shoulder. She was asleep. Apparently he had fallen asleep as well. At least he thought so. Slowly he placed his hand on Brie's baby bump. No… It was impossible. The child couldn't have… Right? But then again, he didn't know what this child was and what she could do. She. Yes. The child was a girl, he was sure of it. He would have a daughter.

Slowly his lips curved into a smile and he kissed the top of Brie's head. She was going to give him a daughter. The thought filled his dead heart with feelings he had thought he had lost forever. Yet he also felt something he could no longer ignore. Guilt. As he was holding Brie now, he truly understood how pure and innocent she was. How broken she was.

After everything he had done to her, she trusted him now simply because he had acted like somewhat decent person. It would be so easy for anyone to take advantage of her. If he would hurt her now, she would most likely apologize for upsetting him. That was how she had been raised. Something like that would break anyone. She most certainly hadn't deserved any of it.

 _"She's a vessel… She was conceived by magic… Designed as a fertile vessel."_

Kol gritted his teeth and wrapped his arm protectively around Brie. Those bastards would pay for everything they had done to her. She wasn't some damn vessel; she was the mother of his child. She deserved to be safe and happy. He was determined to look after her and hopefully fix at least some of the damage that had been done to her. But first things first, he needed to get her out of the bathtub.

"Brie?" he said gently and touched her hair. "Brie?"

She blinked her eyes sleepily.

"Hmm?"

"We need to get you to bed, darling; you can't sleep in the bathtub."

"I'm sorry…" she murmured sleepily.

"No need to be sorry. Can you wash yourself?"

She tried to lift her head, but she couldn't. He hadn't realized how exhausted she was.

"Alright…. May I wash you?"

"Hmm…"

Poor thing, she was struggling to keep her eyes open. Very gently he washed her and wrapped a huge towel around her and another one around his lower body before lifting her up into his arms. She was almost asleep already as he carried her to the bedroom and carefully placed her on the bed.

"Brie? May I stay here with you?"

She didn't reply, but he didn't think that she would mind. He only wanted to be close to her and their daughter. She sighed and snuggled against him as he lied down beside her. She truly trusted him. Only a monster would have misused that trust. Or mistreated her. Gently he ran his fingers over her warm cheek.

In that moment he felt something strange. Something he hadn't felt for a very long time. Magic. It was flowing through him, just like it had when he had still been a human. The feeling was intoxicating. He looked at the lamp on the nightstand and waved his hand. The lamp flew against the wall. He couldn't believe it, this was… Suddenly the feeling was gone. The magic was gone. What had happened? Slowly he looked at Brie.

"Was that you, darling?" he murmured. That was more than possible; she had been conceived by magic. He stared at her while processing the whole thing. This was very interesting.


End file.
